Silent As the Night
by funkyhigh
Summary: Danny is no stranger to the horrors of the world, or at least that's what he thought, until they prove him terribly wrong.
1. Chapter 1

I had a morbid relapse, that's all I can say. 

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Silent As the Night**

He messed up badly, to the point that it may actually cost him his life. He didn't even know why he'd agreed to it, he knew it was dangerous, but knowing that he could prevent something bad from happening, and doing nothing… well he couldn't live with it. That must be his reason; the choice seemed a lot simpler then, but now, after all this time, he sees things very differently. He had never thought there was a chance he could die, he didn't think about any of the effects it could have on him, or those around him. The whole thing is so twisted; he barely believes it to be real.

His vision sharply blurs, halting all thoughts of regret, as another wave of agony hits him. He sits huddled in the corner, bracing himself against the wall, the feeling of nausea rising with each passing second. It's dark, very dark, and despite the warm season he's numb with a piercing cold. He knows he's not going to get out of this, not without help. Reaching into his pocket he gropes around for his cell phone, _he should have done this weeks ago._ Upon finding it he flips it open, and presses the needed buttons "Damn it." His dry voice curses, at his lack of coordination, his fingers fumbling uselessly over the phone. "Ahh!" Another sharp jolt of pain sores through him, and the phone goes crashing to the ground. His breathing quickens, and he closes his eyes trying to regain his composure. It doesn't take much longer to realise that he's not going to regain anything, so making a grab for his phone; he pushes the first button he touches, and prays for the best.

**Ten Weeks Earlier**

"Bang! Bang!" a loud pounding jolts Danny Taylor from his sleep. His eyes travel to the alarm clock next to his bed, and an annoyed groan escapes his throat. 2:10. Laying his head back down, he tries to ignore the sound, hoping he'll just drift off to sleep once more.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" His eyes flick open as the noise refuses to let him be. "Danny!" The noise is followed by the muffled yell of a familiar voice. Without hesitation this time, Danny jumps out of bed and rushes to the door.

As soon as the door is unlocked the culprit storms in.

"Danny! I found her, I found her! But I think she may be in trouble!"

"Whoa Kate, slow down," he coaxes, while gently grabbing her by the shoulders, forcing her to concentrate, "Okay tell me again."

She takes a deep breath, trying to calm her shaking body. "I found Jodie."

Danny interrupts, "Jodie was missing?" He questions, concern lacing his tone.

"Well no, sort of… she kept disappearing, so I, I followed her." Kate stops, waiting for Danny to say something disapproving, but at his silence she continues. "She's getting round with a crowd," Danny gives her a sceptical look, and she quickly adds, "this isn't just some kind of over protective mother thing, I mean it! She went into some club, covered top to bottom in black- clothes, make-up, and everything. I tried to follow her in, but the bouncer stopped me." She turns to Danny, a pleading expression on her face. "Please Danny, you've got to help me, she's only sixteen."

As much as he wanted to help his friend, there wasn't much he could do, kids rebel, that's all there is to it, and if he goes down there and stirs everything up, he'd probably make matters worse.

"I'm sorry Kate, I can't."

Her eyes shine with something close to betrayal, while her tone holds a strong desperation, "I need your help, I can't do this on my own."

Guilt floods through him, he'd known this woman for years, they'd meet in AA, and helped each other through some tough times, including the death of Jodie's father. They'd once come close to having a relationship, but soon realised they were better off as friends. Friends that would do anything for each other, and never let one another down. He sighs, knowing he can't turn her away. "What did you want me to do?"

An hour later they are sitting in the car, just outside the club, where Jodie had entered. "I can't believe you're making me do this," Danny mutters, while checking his reflection yet again.

Kate gives him a nervous smile. "Just be thankful I didn't make you wear the make-up."

He sends her a glare in return, then opening the door, he steps out of the vehicle.

The cool October breeze swishes through the bustling street, making him almost thankful for the long black trench coat covering his body…almost. Making his way over to the entrance, he watches as the bouncer gives him the once over. Along with the coat, Danny's also sporting a rather ugly pendant, hanging loosely around his neck, as well as a few dark, and devil-like rings on his fingers- where the seemingly innocent Kate obtained such items from, he was sure he didn't want to know. Finally the bouncer nods him in, his cover obviously working. Danny takes a few steps toward the door, but before he can open it, the large man lays a hand on the agents shoulder. "You know someone in there?" mumbles the deep voice, matching perfectly with his rough exterior

Danny hesitates, quickly forming an answer. "Yeah, Jodie, she told me to check the place out, said I might be interested," he calmly replies.

The guy nods again, and moves back, letting Danny pass. With a thankful sigh of relief- not audible to all- the agent opens the door and begins to ascend down a narrow, dark flight of stairs.

"Boom-bop, boom-bop!" The loud thump of music, beats through his ears, making it impossible to hear anything else, and dulling the other senses. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he's lead to a dimly lit room crowded with bodies, dancing to the dark tone of the song. Danny roughly scans the room, hoping to spot Jodie from there, rather than mingle into the crowd. Unfortunately, this time luck runs against him, as there's no way he can possibly distinguish her from the mass of back clothing. Slowly he starts to push his way through. Managing to get to the other side of the room, he now realises it's completely hopeless, amongst the crowd he still can't see anybody, other than the people pushed right up against him. Getting irritated and feeling slightly claustrophobic, Danny prods his way back to the edge of the room, trying to find some breathing space. Suddenly his heart picks up, as he finally spots his target. "Jodie!" He yells, trying and failing to grab her attention over the loud atmosphere. He rushes towards her, pushing hard to make the crowds part, and getting angry glares along the way. "Jodie!" He tries again, but still she remains oblivious to his call. The smaller girl is soon lost amongst the others, and Danny can't help but feel disappointment. He continues on his path, towards the place he last spotted her, hoping that she's still there and just sheltered from his sight.

"Watch it!" A guff faceless voice yells from his left. Danny doesn't acknowledge them, and keeps moving.

Reaching the spot, he looks on feeling defeated, as there's no sign of his friend's daughter.

"You in or our?"

The agent spins round to come face to face with the bouncer from earlier, and in his shock, he answers stupidly "Huh?"

Danny curses himself inwardly, as the guy gives him a questioning stare. "You said you're a friend of Jodie's, she's gone in," he replies, while pulling back a black curtain to reveal a doorway- _something that Danny would have never noticed._

"Thanks," Danny yells over the music, regaining his calm composure.

Still a little confused about the bouncer's presence, and how he seems so willing to let him into a clearly restricted area, Danny precedes to find Jodie.

Upon first entering, everything seems normal enough, sort of like a high flyers area- a bar, lighter music, and couches, with various people sprawled about them. The room, just as the larger one, is extremely dull, the kind of light that takes a while for your eyes to adjust to. Spotting Jodie near the bar, and alone, he cautiously marches toward her. "Jodie, are you ok?" He quietly asks, gently grabbing her arm as he does.

"Get away!" she shouts, physically jumping backwards, and out of his grasp.

"It's ok, it's Danny," he replies, trying to calm her. She's visibly shaking, and her eyes hold a wild feral-like fear.

"D-Danny?" she stutters, her body beginning to still.

"He nods, reaching to grab her arm once more. "I think he should leave."

Jodie remains glued to the floor, even when Danny starts to pull her along. "What are you doing here?" she questions, her voice holding a distant tone.

Danny sighs, knowing the question could lead to anger, then possibly him getting kicked out on his ass. He'll have to tread carefully.

"It's not safe here," he pauses, planning his next words, then decides to go with blunt honesty, "you realise these guys took you here for one reason?"

Complete horror slips across her eyes, as they stare blankly into Danny's.

"I do realise, but I don't think you do." She monotones, lost in her thoughts.

"Come on," he pulls her along, really worried about her reaction, and not understanding her words. She allows herself to be lead out, and without any interference from the occupants, they arrive back into the larger room. Thankfully the bouncer's nowhere in sight, so they merely push their way through the crowd, race up the stairs, and back into the cool night air. The agent swiftly checks the area, thinking that maybe the guy had come back up to the main door, but again there's no sign of him.

"Jodie!" A voice yells, a car door slams, and a moment later, Jodie's pulled from Danny's grip and locked into a tight hug by Kate. "Thank god you're ok!"

Danny stands back and watches the two, a small smile spread over his lips. Suddenly a thought comes to mind, instantly striking the smile away. Jodie is hanging onto her mother for dear life, her body shaking with sobs. What started out as a mere act of teenaged rebellion, turned into something so much deeper. Jodie's words play around in his mind, _"I do realise, but I don't think you do."_ Something bad is happening in that place, something Jodie will never be willing to tell them. What is it, remains a secret.

------------------------------------------------------------

Ten points if you can guess what it is. –_Doesn't apply to fans1024 or buffy vs angel, cause they already know_.

If you didn't like the chapter, you have my word that it will get better (depending on which way you look at it). I'll ditch the OCs too, so never fear the team will be there.

funkyhigh


	2. Chapter 2

Yeah! I'm on a roll, updated both my fics.

**Chapter Two**

"Morning Danny," Samantha cheerfully greets upon entering the bullpen. Danny glances up to see her taking off her coat, and readying herself for another day at the office.

"Hey," he mumbles, turning back to his work.

After a moments hesitation, Sam approaches, perching herself on his desk. "Late night?" she questions, trying to keep the smile from her tone.

Danny shrugs her off with a simple, "not really."

She remains where she is, not understanding the meaning behind his short-lived replies. "What's up?" She again attempts to form conversation, but with other matters on his mind, he really can't be bothered. Fortunately he's saved, as Vivian arrives and Sam is wisped up into a real conversation, and forgets about her mission with Danny, well for now anyway.

The day slowly dribbles by, without a new case presented to the team. The only thing days like this are good for, is catching up on the endless supply of paperwork cluttering up the desk space. They also provide a lot of time to think. He can't get that club out of his head. Something really bad is happening there, and Jodie won't tell anyone, it's like she's traumatized, or otherwise, she's been threatened not to talk. But there's really nothing he can do until she decides to open up, which considering her state, may very well be never.

"Agent Taylor?" A voice interrupts, pulling him from his thoughts.

Danny glimpses up to see a young agent approach him. "Yeah?"

"You have a guy from NYPD who wants to talk to you," the man explains, "he's waiting at reception."

Danny nods in thanks, and the man departs. Getting up from his seat, Danny makes his way to reception, curiosity filling him; he has no idea why NYPD would need him.

Reaching his destination, he spots a guy in uniform and introduces himself. "Danny Taylor, you wanted to see me?"

The man smiles warmly, extending his hand. "Yes, I'm Shawn Walters. Is there somewhere we could talk in private?"

Minutes later, they are both seated, giving Danny a proper chance to look the guy over. He's a short stocky man, with light sandy brown hair, and probably late thirties to early forties of age.

Shawn pulls Danny back into the situation, explaining his reason for this meeting. "I'm a friend of Kate's," at Danny's panicked expression he quickly adds, "nothings happened to her," and immediately the nerves drop.

"Ok," Danny answers, waiting for him to continue.

He hesitates, studying the agent, as if questioning his own next words. "She told me what you did for her, how you got Jodie out."

Danny nods, feeling like he's missing a large piece of the puzzle, and wondering what any of that has to do with the NYPD.

"We have been trying to shut that place down for a long time, but we can't catch the…" he pauses searching for his words, "the leader," he decides. "Soon as we bust it down, another joint just like it will spring up somewhere else."

Danny takes in the information, but is still unsure of why it concerns him. "And you need me because…"

"We've been trying to get guys in for months, but it never seems to work, it's like they can smell a cop, but you, you got in."

Finally the blanks are filled, clearing any misunderstandings away, but surely the guy can't be serious. "So what, you want me to go undercover and pretend to be a Goth, until I can get enough dirt on this guy?"

Shawn's tone is clearly nervous. "Yeah, pretty much," he replies, gazing hopefully towards Danny.

Without giving it much thought Danny replies, "Na man, sorry, I work enough hours as it is." He gets up ignoring Shawn's crestfallen features.

"There are a lot more kids in there, some younger than Jodie."

It was a dirty trick and Shawn knows it. Kate must have mentioned something about the obligation he feels towards children, although probably never intending for it to be used against him. The agent sits back down, glaring at the man opposite him, deciding he'd at least hear the full story, especially after he'd gone to such lengths with the emotional blackmail.

"We've had a lot of calls from worried parents, begging us to help their children, but we haven't been able to. If we can't find anything illegal, then we can't bring them down."

Danny rolls his eyes, feeling quite frustrated. "So you're trying to guilt me into it now?"

Looking a little unsure, the cop slowly nods. "Whatever works."

The agent is completely torn. He wants to help these kids, and even if the guy is using them to manipulate the situation, it doesn't change the fact that they're still in there, still needing a way out. But Danny has other responsibilities, including his day job, which can't afford to suffer.

This time, it's Shawn who rises from his chair. "From what Kate told me, you're a good person," he drops a card onto the table in front of them, "I know you'll do the right thing." With those final words, he departs.

Danny sits, staring at the card, then climbing to his feet, he snatches it from the table, and exits the room.

One hour. That's all it took. As soon as Danny got home from work, an hour later he was on the phone to Shawn, planning the first 'mission,' into the club. So here he is, two days later, sitting in a car wearing a similar outfit and going over the plan with Shawn, who's fidgeting nervously beside him.

He's still thinking he's mad to be doing this, what does he know about being a Goth, and he barely knows Shawn, and he's willing to let the cop be his supposed life-line. Perhaps he should have told someone in the team, just on case something goes wrong. Though it is just a club, even if the people in it are in some sort of cult, they won't necessarily be dangerous, but even if they are, he's an F.B.I agent, he can handle them.

"Ok, Danny have you got it?"

The agent glimpses over to Shawn, not having heard the last five minutes of discussion. "Sure," he states confidently, while getting out of the car.

The same bouncer stands guard at the door, but this time he barely acknowledges Danny, allowing him to easily pass. Entering the room, he's immediately bombarded by the same loud distasteful music, although tonight, there's not as many people crowding up the floor. Danny sucks in a deep breath, as he plays the night's goal through his head. It shouldn't be too hard, all he has to do is mingle, make his presence known and become a familiar face, and hopefully, in time they will begin to trust him. Deciding to start at the bar- not being in a dancing mood- he plonks himself down on a stool. He can't have been there more than a minute when a young woman approaches him.

"Haven't seen you here before," she remarks in a soft tone, while taking up the seat next to him.

Danny grins in her direction, "I was here a few nights ago," he counters.

Her black covered lips twist into a smirk, but she refrains from speaking.

The agent studies her carefully, like everyone else she's sporting all black; a tight fitting tank top, a mid-length leather skirt, and fishnet gloves running up her arms, not to mention, several necklaces, rings, and about five piercings in each ear. All in all, she's probably one of the more normal dressers, her short black hair, streaked with blue the main thing setting her apart. Danny instantly finds himself oddly attracted to her, but he quickly pushes the thought aside, knowing he can't let himself go there.

"What's your name," he asks, breaking their silence.

"Sadie," she replies, "yours?"

He hesitates, not really having thought about whether to use a fake name, but as long as he doesn't mention a last name, there shouldn't be any harm.

"Danny."

"Do you want to go into the other room Danny?" she coly asks.

A little shocked at her forwardness, he needs a moment to regain his composure, and thinking quickly he decides to play it her way. "Why, what's in the other room?" he questions in a smooth, cool tone.

She stands, grabbing his arm, "You'll see."

He allows himself to be pulled behind the curtain covering the doorway, and pushed onto the closest couch. She leans in close to him, her breath warm on his face, as she whispers lustfully into his ear, "I'll be right back." She pulls away, her eyes full of desire and something else Danny isn't quite able to determine. As his eyes follow her departing form, the reality of the situation clicks back into place. His mission floats back to is mind, and he curses himself for being so easily distracted. He let things go too far, now he's got to find a way to get out of this situation without arousing suspicion, or anything else for that matter.

"Ahh!" A sudden squeal of pain directs Danny's attention to a nearby couple, his heart skipping a beat at the sight held before him. Immediately, he springs to his feet, ready to help the poor girl, but with a better glimpse of her face he soon realises there is no need, as a smile stretches across it. In his shock he tries to step back, but instead he falls back onto the couch. Searching the room, his blood freezes as he spots another couple… doing _that._ He closes his eyes tightly, thinking he must be seeing things, but sure enough upon reopening them, he's met with the same grotesque picture.

The girl laughs, pulling her man closer. Suddenly she screams again and he pulls away, his face clearly covered in bright crimson liquid. The girl lays her head back, exposing a monstrous tear in her neck, the same liquid dripping slowly down her body.

"I'm back." A distant voice mutters something, but Danny can't comprehend the words. Inhaling a deep shaky breath, he climbs to his feet.

"Hey where are you going?" Sadie turns him around, confusion written on her face. Danny opens his mouth to reply, but he can't find the words, so instead he twists around and stumbles towards the door, forgetting about Sadie and the plan.

He meets a fierce whirl of wind upon stepping out into the night. The cold air barely fazes him, as everything becomes an irrelevant blur.

"Danny!" He doesn't hear his name being called, he doesn't see the car driving along side him, he barely notices the man approaching him.

Shawn spotted Danny as soon as he left the club, but he seemed to be in some kind of dream-like state. "Damn it," he swears, thinking the worst as Danny continues wandering straight past his vehicle.

Starting the engine, he pulls up along side Danny, keeping the motor running as he climbs out, and attempts to gain the younger man's attention.

"Hey Danny, are you okay?"

Danny stops and stares blankly at him for a few seconds. Shawn quickly runs his eyes over the agent, checking for possible injuries, finding none, he realises his breath, letting relief rinse over him, although in the dark, he can't be sure of anything.

"You knew didn't you?" Danny mutters under his breath.

Catching the words, Shawn isn't sure how to respond. He knows exactly what he's talking about, it was one of the main reasons he's so keen to get this place shut down, and he had figured sharing this information with Danny would have pulled him further from his goal. He did what he thought was best for the mission, but obviously Danny disagrees.

"Did you?" Danny prods, his tone dangerously low.

An unsettling feeling chooses that moment to rise, but forcing himself to gulp it back down, he gives the agent his answer. "Yes I did."

Danny's eyes narrow, causing Shawn to take a step back, thinking he may take a swing. Instead, without a second word, he turns and walks away, leaving Shawn cursing himself with bitter regret, as he thinks about how close he could have come.

--------------------------------------------------

Thanks for reading.

funkyhigh


End file.
